Actuating device



May 7, 1968 H. E. ROLFE, JR

ACTUATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1966 INVENTOR. /g'zrer' frroFA/EYS May 7 1968 H. E. ROLFE, JR 3,381,411

ACTUATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N VEN TOR.

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United States Patent O1 iice 3,381,41 l Patented May 7, 1968 3,381,411 ACTUATING DEVICE Herbert E. Reife, ltr., Garden City, Mich., assigner to Evans Products Company, a corporation of Deiaware Filed Feb. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 529,399 8 Claims. (Cl. 49-220) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A railway boxcar plug door arrangement embodying an operating mechanism for swinging the door transversely between its open and closed position and for locking the door in its closed position. The operating structure interrelates the locking mechanism with the mechanism for moving the door in such a way that the locking mechanism is released and engaged only when the door is in its closed position. A single operating handle operates both mechanisms.

This invention relates to an actuating device and more particularly to an actuating device for operating a railway car door or the like.

In many applications it is desirable to operate two separate members by means of a common actuator. A railway car door and the locking mechanism for retaining the door in the closed position is a typical example of an application where this operation is desirable. It has been proposed to provide a single operator that will move the door between an open and a closed lposition and actuate the locking mechanism for retaining the door in its closed position. The operating mechanism, however, should insure that the locking mechanism is moved between its engaged and disengaged positions only when the door is in its closed position. It appears obvious that the locking mechanism must be fully released before the door can lbe opened and should not be engaged until the door is again closed. This sequence dictates the use of some form of lost motion device. The lost motion has previously been accomplished through more convene tional types of mechanism such as pins and slots or the like. These mechanisms, however, require adjustment and can become inoperative due to corrosion or the accumulation of dirt therein.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved actuating device for operating two members with a form of lost motion between them.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved actuating device for operating a door and a Y locking mechanism for the door.

An actuating device embodying this invention is adapted to operate a pair of members by means of a common operator. The actuating device is comprised of a irst operator supported for reciprocatory movement and a second operator supported for limited rotary movement. Link means are pivotally connected to each of the operators for transmitting movement between them. The irst operator is operatively connected to one of the members for moving the one member between the first and second positions. In a like manner, the second operator is operatively connected to t-he other of the members for moving the other member between first and second positions. One of the operative connections provides for a range of movement of the respective operator without substantial movement of the respective member. The link means and the other of the operative connections provides for full movement of the other member between its positions during the aforenoted range of movement of the one operator.

The described actuating device is particularly adapted for use in a door construction wherein one of the members comprises a door and the other member comprises a locking device for retaining the door in its closed position. The operative connection to the door moves it between an open and closed position and the operative connection to the latching mechanism is adapted to move it between an engaged and disengaged. position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent as this description proceeds, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a partial perspective view of a railway car embodying this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE l; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken along the line 4--4 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a railway car embodying this invention is identified generally by the reference numeral 11 and is depicted partially. The railway car 11 is comprised of a side wall 12 in which a doorway opening 13 is formed. A plug door assembly 14 is adapted to close the doorway opening 13 when positioned therein. The door assembly 14 and side Wall 12 have substantial thickness for use in insulated or refrigerator cars.

Due to the thickness of the door assembly 14 it must first move laterally from within the confines of the doorway opening 13 before it can be opened. The door assem` bly 14 is then slid transversely along the side wall 12 when positioned outwardly therefrom to permit full access to the interior of the railway car 11 through the doorway opening 13. The supporting structure for the door assembly 14 that provides for this movement is com prised of a pair of vertically extending operating rods 15 and 16 that extend parallel to each other and are supported adjacent opposite sides of the door 14.

The rod 15 is pivotally supported with respect to the door assembly 14 at its upper end by means of a generally C-shaped Ibracket 17 and at its lower end by a means of a generally C-shaped bracket 18. The lower end of the operating rod 15 is rigidly aixed to one end of a crank arm 19 the other end of which is pivotally connected to a guide roller assembly 21. T'he guide roller assembly 21 includes a pair of spaced rollers 22 (FIG. 3) that are supported for movement along a track 23 that is afiixed to the railway car 11 at a spaced distance outwardly -from the side wall 12. The upper end of the operating rod 15 is rigidly connected to a crank arm 24 that carries a roller 25 at the upper side of its outer end. The roller 2S is conned within a guide channel 26 formed by a Z-shaped structural member 27 that is aiiiXed to the side wall 12 above the doorway opening 13.

The operating rod 16 is pivotally supported for limited rotary movement with respect to the door assembly 14 by means of upper and lower C-shaped brackets 28 and 29. Like the operating rod 15, the lower end of the operating rod 16 is rigidly amxed to one end of a crank arm 31 that is pivotally connected at its outer end to a guide roller assembly 32 that is supported upon the track 23. The upper end of the operating rod 16 is rigidly affixed to a crank arm 33 that carries a roller 34 at the upper side of its outer end. The roller 34 is also confined within the channel 26 dened by the Z-shaped structural member 27.

As will become more apparent as this description proceeds, the limited yrotary movement of the operating rods 15 and 16 causes the door assembly 14 to be moved laterally outwardly from the contines of the doorway opening 13. The door assembly 14 may then be slid longitudinally 3 along the side wall 12 upon the roller assemblies 21 and 32.

The door assembly 14 is locked in a closed position within the doorway opening 13l by means of four horizontally extending lock pin assemblies 36, 37, 38 and 39. The lock pin assemblies 36 through 39 have lock pin portions 41, 42, 43 and 44 formed at their outer extremities that are adapted to engage corresponding lock pin apertures 45, 46, 47 and 48 formed in the car side wall 12 adjacent the doorway opening 13.

The lock pin assembly 36 is supported for reciprocation at its outer extremity adjacent the upper side of the door assembly 14 by means of a C-shaped bracket 49 and is supported at its inner end, adjacent the center of the door assembly 14, by means of a clamp 51. In a like manner, the lock pin assembly 38, which is positioned below the lock pin assembly 36, is supported at its outer extremity for reciprocation by means of a C- shaped bracket 52 and adjacent its inner end contiguous to the center of the door assembly 14 by means of a bracket 53.

The lock pin assemblies 37 and 39 are positioned at the opposite side of the door assembly 14 in line with the lock pin assemblies 36 and 38, respectively. The lock pin assemblies 37 and 39 are supported for reciprocation at their inner ends by means of brackets 54 and 55, respectively. The outer ends of the lock pin assemblies 37 and 39 have oiiset portions which define the lock pin portions 42 and 44, which portions are guided for reciprocation within journals 56 and 57 formed at this side of the door assembly 14.

The lock pin assemblies 36, 37, 38 and 39 are reciprocated simultaneously by means of a vertically extending operating rod 58 that is pivotally connected at its upper end to a pair of operating links 59 and 61 by means of a pivot pin 62. The outer end of the link 59 is pivotally connected to the inner end of the lock pin assembly 36 by means of a pivot pin 63. In a like manner, the outer end of the link 61 is pivotally connected to the inner end of the lock pin assembly 37 by means of a pivot pin 64.

The lower end of the operating rod 58 is pivotally connected to a vertically extending latch strap 65 that is supported for reciprocation by means of upper and lower brackets 66 and 67 that are aiiixed to the outer side of the door assembly 14. A pivot pin 68` connects the upper end of the latch strap 65 to a pair of links 69 and 71. The outer end of the link 69 is pivotally connected to the inner end of the lock pin assembly 38 by means of a pivot pin 72 and the outer end of the link 71 is pivotally connected to the inner end of the lock pin assembly 39 by means of a pivot pin 73.

The ylower end of the latch strap 65 is adapted to be received in an aperture defined by a bracket 74 that is afrixed to the car side wall 12 below the doorway opening 13. This coaction between the latch strap 65 and the bracket 74 provides further means for locking the door assembly 14 in its closed position. The latch strap 65 is operated, as are the lock pin assemblies 36, 37, 38 and 39 by means of an operating handle 75 that is pivotally supported upon the bracket 66 by means of a pivot pin 76. The operating handle 75 is also pivotally connected to a link 77 by means of a pivot pin 78. The opposite end of the link 77 is pivotally connected to a pair of upstanding ears 79 fixed to the latch strap 65 by means of a pivot pin 481.

FIGURE l depicts the door assembly 14 in a closed or locked position within the doorway opening 13. To release the various locking assemblies, the operating handle 75 is rotated upwardly about the pivot pin 76. This movement is transmitted through the link 77 to vertical movement of the latch strap 65. This causes the lower end of the latch strap 65 to be withdrawn from the bracket 74. In a like manner, the operating rod 58 moves upwardly causing the inner pivotal connection of the links 59 and 61 and the inner pivotal connection of the links 69 and 71 to move upwardly. This movement draws the inner ends of the lock pin assemblies 36, 37, 38 and 39 inwardly, causing their locking pin portions 41, 42, 43 and 44 to be withdrawn from the respective locking apertures of the side Wall 12.

In addition to releasing the various locking devices, the operating handle 75 rotates the operating rods 15 and 16 to cause the door assembly 14 to be moved laterally with respect to the doorway opening 13. This movement is accomplished by means of four sausage-shaped links 85, 86, 87 and 88. The links 85 and 87 are pivotally connected to brackets 89 and 91, that are affixed to the operating rod 15, by means of pivot pins 92 and 93. The lock pin assemblies 36 and 38 are also formed with pin projections 94 and 95 that pivotally extend through apertures formed at the other end of the links and 87. Similar pivotal connections are provided between the operating rod 16, links 86 and 88 and lock pin assemblies 37 and 39. The respective pivot points and brackets have been identiiied by the same reference numerals as those used in defining the connections of the links 85 and 87, respectively, inasmuch as the links and respective connections are mirror images of each other.

Again considering the door assembly 14 as being in its closed position, the movement of the operating handle 75, which has been previously described, causes the lock pin assemblies 36 through 39 to become released. As will become more apparent as this description proceeds, the locks pin assemblies are released prior to any actual opening of the door assembly 14. Continued movement of the operating handle 75 causes the lock pin assemblies 36 through 39 to be continued to be drawn inwardly toward the center of the door assembly 14.

Referring now specifically to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the inward movement of the lock pin assembly 39 is transmitted through the link 88 to rotary movement of the operating rod 16 in a clockwise direction. In a like manner, the operating rod 15 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The described rotation of the operating rods 15 and 16 causes the rollers 25 and 34 to traverse the track 26 and the roller assemblies 21 and 32 to traverse the track 23, the respective rollers of the opposite ends of the door assembly 114 moving toward each other. This movement causes the crank arms 24, 33, 19 and 31 to rotate and draw the door assembly 14 from within the doorway opening 13 in a substantially normal direction with respect to the doorway opening. This movement will =be continued until the inner surface of the door assembly 14 is disposed outwardly of the outer surface of the car side wall 12. The door assembly 14 may then be slid along the tracks 23 and 26 to one side of the doorway opening 13 to permit access through the doorway opening 13.

It should be readily apparent that it is essential that the door 14 be in a substantially closed position with respect to the doorway opening 13 when the tlock pin assemblies 36 through 39 and latch strap -65 are operated, either to their engaged or disengaged positions. The pivotal movement of the levers 24, 33, 19 and 31, as well as the geometry of the links 85, 86, 87 and 88 accomplishes this movement, which is the equivalent of a lost motion connection.

This operation will become more apparent by particulai reference to FIGURE 4 wherein several positions of the mechanism are shown in dotted line views. The solid line view represents the position of the mechanism when the door assembly 14 is in its closed position. The center llines of the crank arms 31 and 33, which are parallel to each other, are identified by the reference numeral 97 in this view. It will be noted that the center line 97 is in an over-center relationship when the door assembly 14 is closed. That is, the center line 97 is disposed at an angle rather than being perpendicular to the doorway opening 13. In the depicted embodiment, this angle is 12.

During the movement of the lock pin assembly 39 from the solid line position to the point at which its pin projection is at the location identified by the reference numeral 95a, all of the locking pin assemblies will be moved the complete distance from their .fully engaged to their fully disengaged positions. During this movement, the link S8 transmits some rotation to the operating rod 16 through the bracket 91, the new position of the crank arm center lines 97 being identified by the reference numeral 97a in the drawings. It will be seen that during this rotation the door assembly 14 is not open but rather, first a small degree of inward movement of the door assembly 14 with respect to the doorway opening occurs when the link center line 97 moves through its first 12 of movement. This movement has no effect other than compressing a seal 98 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provided between the door assembly 14 and doorway opening 13. There is sufficient clearance between the respective latch pins and the apertures with which they cooperate to accommodate this small degree movement. During a continuing 12 of rotation of the operating rods and 16, the latch pins are moved to their lfully disengaged position and the door assembly 14 is returned to its initial closed position into the link center line now -being in the position shown by the line 97a. The arcuate shape of the link 88 permits it to in effect wrap around the operating rod 16 during this initial movement, which accounts for 24 rotation of the operating rod 16.

Continued movement of the operating handle 75 causes the lock pin assembly 39 to lmove so that its pin projections 95 will move to the point shown as '95b in FIGURE 4. This rotation will cause the crank arm center lines 97 to move to the position shown at 97b in the drawings. In this position, the door assembly 14 will have been moved completely free of the doorway opening 13 so that the door assembly 14 may be slid along the car side Wall 12. It should be readily apparent that movement of the operating handle 75 in the opposite direction will cause the door 14 to first be moved into its closed position and then cause engagement of the various locking assemblies.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the exact construction shown and described. The disclosed operating mechanism may be employed to actuate any pair of devices wherein some form of lost motion is required during their operation. In a like manner, the invention may be practiced with door and locking assemblies other than those associated with railway car construction. Various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An actuating device for a pair of members actuated by a common operating member comprising a first opera tor supported for reciprocatory movement, a second operator supported for limited rotary movement, means operatively connected to said operators for transmitting movement .between said operators, means operatively connecting said first operator to the first of said members for moving said first member between first and second operative positions, means including a lever fixed relative to said second operator for operatively connecting said second operator to the other of said members, movement of said second operator between `rst and second angular positions being effective to move said other member between first and second positions, said lever means being disposed on one side of a perpendicular plane when said second operator is in its first angular position and being movable from said one side of the plane to a position on the other side of the plane and at substantially the same angle with respect to the plane upon movement of said second operator from its first position to a position intermediate its first and second positions, said means operatively connecting said operators being effective to provide for movement of said first member between its first and its second positions during movement of said second operator between its first position and its intermediate position for effecting actuation of said first member between its first position and its second position before any significant operation of said other member.

2. An actuating device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for operatively connecting the operators includes link means pivotally connected to said operators and having a generally arcuate shape with a complementary surface to the adjacent portion of the second operator for receiving said adjacent portion during a part of its movement.

3. An actuating device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first and second operators are supported upon the second member, the other end of the lever being cooperative with a fixed reaction means for moving said second member upon rotation of the second operator.

4. A door struct-ure for a railway car having a sidewall defining a doorway opening and upper and lower track means extending along the length of the sidewall above and below the doorway opening, said door structure comprising a door, a pair of spaced vertically extending operating rods supported at respective sides of the door for rotary movement, upper and lower crank arms affixed to the respective ends of each of said operating rods, and roller means supported at the ends of said crank arms remote from the respective connections to said operating rods for cooperation with the track means, said crank arms being pivotal about said roller means for moving said door laterally into an-d out of the doorway opening, said crank arms being disposed at an acute angle to a perpendicular relationship with said door `when said door is in its normal closed position, said crank arms being ro tatable through said perpendicular relationship upon rotation of Said operating rods to open said door from said normal closed position, locking means for maintaining said door in its normal closed position, a common operating member for rotating said operating rods and for moving said locking means between a locked and an unlocked position, and means for interrelating said operating rods and said locking means for simultaneous operation, said locking means being movable: between its locked and its unlocked positions during rotation of said crank arms through an angle substantially equal to twice the acute angle from the perpendicular.

5. A door structure as set forth in claim i4 further including locking means for maintaining the door in its normal closed position, a common operating member for rotating the operating rods and moving said locking means between a locked and unlocked position, and means interrelating said operating rods and said locking means for simultaneous operation, said locking means being movable between its locked and unlocked positions during rotation of the crank arms through an angle substantially equal to twice the acute angle lfrom the perpendicular.

y6. A door structure as set forth in claim 4 wherein the locking means comprises at least two reciprocably supported locking pins, at least one of said locking pins being operatively associated with each of the operating rods, and

the means for interrelating said operating rods and thel respective locking pins comprises a link pivotally connected at one of its ends to the respective operating rod and pivotally connected at its other end to the respective locking pin.

7. A plug door construction comprising sidewall structure defining a doorway opening, a track structure supported by said sidewall structure adjacent said doorway opening, a door, an operating handle supported upon said door, a locking member supported upon said door for movement between an unlatched position and a latched position for locking said door within said doorway opening, an operating rod supported upon said door for limited rotary movement, a lever afiixed at one of its ends to said operating rod, a guide structure supported upon said track structure for sliding movement relative to said track structure, means pivotally connecting the other end of said lever to said guide structure for moving said door transversely of said sidewall into and out of said doorway opening upon pivotal movement of said operating rod, an operating member supported for reciprocation upon said door, means operatively connecting said operating member to said locking member for moving said locking member between its unlatched and latched positions upon reciprocation of said operating member, link means pivotally connected to said operating member and said operating rod for transmitting movement between said operating member and said operating rod, and means operatively connecting said operating handle to said operating member and said operating rod for moving said operating member and said operating rod upon operation of said operating handle, said lever `being disposed on one side of a plane perpendicular to the plane of said doorway opening when said operating rod is in a first position and when said door is within said doorway opening, said operating rod being movable from said rst position to an intermediate position wherein said lever is disposed on the other side of the perpendicular plane at an angle substantially equal to the angle Ibetween the plane and said lever when said operating rod is in its first position, said locking member being moved between its latched position and its unlatched position upon movement of said operating rod from its rst position to its second position for release of said locking member prior to any substantial movement of said door out of said doorway opening, movement of said operating rod from its intermediate position to a second position being effective to rotate said lever to move said door from its closed position transversely of said doorway opening to an opened position.

8. A door construction as set forth in claim 7 further including a second locking member supported by the door for locking said door in its closed position, and means for actuating said second locking member between its latched and unlatched positions simultaneously with movement of the rst locking member `between its latched and unlatched positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examine/' 

